Patient support apparatuses with wireless headwall communication

ABSTRACT

A person support apparatus includes a first transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a second transceiver of a headwall interface that is positioned off of the person support apparatus. A communication link is automatically established between the first and second transceivers without requiring a user of the person support apparatus to activate a designated control and without requiring the user to identify the headwall interface. The first transceiver includes a unique identifier assigned to the headwall interface in its messages to the headwall interface. The first transceiver may also automatically transmit a disconnect signal to the headwall interface indicating the termination of the communication link is not accidental. The disconnect signal is sent based on one or more of the following: (1) a brake being off, (2) an A/C power cord being unplugged; and/or (3) a signal strength between the transceivers decreasing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/158,716 filed Jan. 26, 2021, by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al.and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH WIRELESS HEADWALLCOMMUNICATION, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/131,428 filed Sep. 14, 2018, by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu etal. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH WIRELESS HEADWALLCOMMUNICATION, which in turn is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/819,844 filed Aug. 6, 2015, by inventors KrishnaBhimavarapu et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITHWIRELESS HEADWALL COMMUNICATION, which in turn claims priority to U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/035,656 filed Aug. 11, 2014by inventors Krishna S. Bhimavarapu et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORTAPPARATUSES WITH WIRELESS HEADWALL COMMUNICATION, the completedisclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to medical facilities having headwallswith one or more connectors that enable communication between a nursecall system and one or more medical devices, such as person supportapparatuses (e.g. beds, stretchers, cots, recliners, etc.).

Medical facilities, such as hospitals, typically include a headwallhaving one or more outlets and/or other types of connectors into whichthe plugs of cables connected to medical devices can be inserted. Forexample, headwalls will typically include at least one outlet thatinterfaces with a nurse-call system and which is designed to accept acable from a hospital bed, or from a hand-held pendant positioned on thebed. When the cable is plugged into this outlet, a patient positioned onthe bed is able to press a button to summon a nurse and/or tocommunicate aurally with the nurse.

Existing headwall connectors also typically communicate with one or moreenvironmental controls, such as one or more controls for in-roomtelevisions, room lights, and/or electrically movable curtains. When theappropriate device and its associated cable is plugged into the headwallconnector from a bed, pendant, or other device, a person is able tocontrol the environmental control via the device (e.g. bed, pendant, orother device). Thus, for example, a patient positioned on a bed is ableto control the volume of a television in the room via controls on thebed due to the proper cable being connected from the bed to theheadwall. In some instances, a single cable is plugged into a singleconnector on the headwall and used for communicating both with the nursecall system of the medical facility, and for communicating with the oneor more environmental controls. In such instances, the headwallconnector forwards the environmental control signals it receives to theappropriate environmental control unit, and forwards the nurse callsignals it receives to the appropriate component of the nurse callsystem.

SUMMARY

A person support apparatus is provided that includes circuitry forwirelessly communicating with a headwall connector of a medicalfacility. In some embodiments, the wireless circuitry automaticallyestablishes communication with the correct connector of the headwallwithout requiring any user actions. In other embodiments, the wirelesscircuitry automatically disestablishes communication with the connectorof the headwall without triggering a “cord out” alert or other type ofdisconnection alert and also without requiring the user to take anyaction to avoid triggering the cord out alert. In some embodiments, thewireless circuitry is adapted to automatically select one and only oneheadwall interface and one and only one connector to wirelesslycommunicate with based upon the current location of the person supportapparatus. In other embodiments, the wireless circuitry is adapted tonotify a caregiver if it has not been able to establish a wirelessconnection. Still further, in other embodiments, the wireless circuitryis adapted to notify a caregiver if the communication link between thewireless circuitry and the headwall interface is unintentionally lost ordisrupted. In still other embodiments, two or more of these features arecombined in a single person support apparatus.

In the various embodiments, the number of actions required by acaregiver to establish communication with the correct headwallinterface, as well as to intentionally disestablish such communication(without triggering an alert) is reduced. Other aspects, such aseasy-to-recognize visual indications of the communication status of theperson support apparatus vis-a-vis the headwall interface may also beincluded. Still further, in some embodiments, multiple person supportapparatuses may be configured to communicate wirelessly with the sameheadwall interface, either each directly, or with one acting as acommunication intermediary for the other(s).

According to one embodiment, a person support apparatus is provided thatincludes a support surface, a first transceiver, and a controller. Thesupport surface is adapted to support a person. The first transceiverwirelessly communicates with a headwall interface positioned off of theperson support apparatus. The controller automatically establishes acommunication link between the first transceiver and the headwallinterface without requiring a user of the person support apparatus toactivate a control designated for establishing the communication linkand without requiring the user to identify the headwall interface.

According to other aspects, the first transceiver is able to wirelesslytransmit signals to a plurality of headwall interfaces positioned off ofthe person support apparatus and the controller is adapted toautomatically select one of the plurality of headwall interfaces that isin the same immediate location as the person support apparatus toestablish the communication link with.

In still other embodiments, the person support apparatus includes asecond transceiver adapted to wirelessly receive location informationfrom a locator, wherein the locator is positioned off of the personsupport apparatus and at a fixed location, and wherein the locationinformation relates to the position of the person support apparatuswithin a healthcare facility.

The person support apparatus may also include an additional transceiverthat is adapted to wirelessly communicate with the headwall interface.When so included, a microphone is also included on the person supportapparatus and the controller is adapted to transmit audio signalsgenerated from the microphone to the headwall interface using theadditional transceiver. The additional transceiver uses a communicationsprotocol that is different from the first transceiver.

In other embodiments, the person support apparatus further includes aroom environmental control in communication with the controller, whereinthe controller is adapted to transmit a room environmental controlsignal to the headwall interface using the first transceiver in responseto the user of the person support apparatus activating the roomenvironmental control. The room environmental control may be adapted tocontrol one or more aspects of a television, light, curtain, thermostat,or other features of the room in which the person support apparatus islocated.

The person support apparatus may further include a base on which thesupport surface is supported; a plurality of wheels supported on thebase; a brake adapted to brake and unbrake the plurality of wheels; anda brake sensor adapted to determine a status of the brake. The brakesensor communicates with the controller and the controller bases itscommunications with the headwall interface at least partially upon thestatus of the brake sensor.

The person support apparatus may also include a light positionedadjacent a head end of the person support apparatus and in communicationwith the controller. The light has a first illumination state prior tothe establishment of the communication link between the firsttransceiver and the headwall interface and a second illumination stateafter the establishment of the communication link. The person supportapparatus may be a bed having a headboard, a footboard, and a pluralityof side rails. When the person support apparatus is a bed, the light ispositioned on the headboard in one embodiment.

The controller may further be adapted to issue an alert when it isunable to establish the communication link a predetermined amount oftime after initially attempting to establish the communication link.

In at least one embodiment, the controller establishes the communicationlink between the first transceiver and the headwall interface by sendinga signal to the headwall interface that includes an identifier that isspecific to the headwall interface.

According to another embodiment, a person support apparatus system isprovided that includes a person support apparatus adapted to support aperson, a first transceiver, a plurality of headwall interfaces, and acontroller. The first transceiver is coupled to the person supportapparatus. The plurality of headwall interfaces each include a secondtransceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with the firsttransceiver, and each of the headwall interfaces has a uniqueidentifier. The controller is coupled to the person support apparatusand adapted to establish a communication link with a specific one (andonly one) of the headwall interfaces by sending a signal to thatspecific headwall interface that includes the unique identifier for thatspecific headwall interface.

In other embodiments, the person support apparatus includes a thirdtransceiver coupled to the person support apparatus that is adapted toreceive the unique identifier and forward the unique identifier to thecontroller. The person support apparatus system may further include alocator that is positioned at a fixed location off of the person supportapparatus and that is adapted to wirelessly transmit the uniqueidentifier to the third transceiver.

The controller, in at least one embodiment, transmits to the specificheadwall interface first signals for forwarding to a nurse call systemand second signals for controlling a feature of an environment in whichthe person support apparatus is positioned.

In other embodiments, the controller is adapted to transmit a disconnectsignal from the first transceiver to the specific headwall interface,wherein the disconnect signal indicates that a cord-out alert of a nursecall system should not be activated. The disconnect signal may be basedat least partially upon information from a brake sensor adapted todetermine a status of a brake on the person support apparatus. Thedisconnect signal may also or alternatively be based at least partiallyupon the status of an A/C power cord of the person support apparatusrelative to an A/C wall outlet (i.e. whether the cord is plugged intothe A/C outlet or not). The disconnect signal may also or alternativelybe based at least partially upon a determination of whether the signalstrength in the communication link between the wireless circuitry of theperson support apparatus and the specific headwall interface haschanged, or is changing.

In other embodiments, the controller is adapted to establish thecommunication link between wireless circuitry of the person supportapparatus and the specific headwall interface regardless of whether ornot the person support apparatus is connected to an A/C power outlet.

In still other embodiments, the person support apparatus includes alight positioned adjacent its head end that is in communication with thecontroller. The light has a first illumination state prior to theestablishment of the communication link with the specific headwallinterface and a second illumination state after the establishment of thecommunication link with the specific headwall interface.

The controller, in some embodiments, automatically attempts to establishthe communication link in response to the A/C power cord on the personsupport apparatus being plugged into an A/C power outlet. In otherembodiments, the controller automatically attempts to establish thecommunication link in response to a brake on the person supportapparatus being activated. In still other embodiments, the controllerautomatically attempts to establish the communication link in responseto communication with a locator unit. In still other embodiments, thecontroller automatically attempts to establish the communication link inresponse to any combination of two or more of these criteria, or stillother criteria.

According to another embodiment, a person support apparatus is providedthat includes a support surface adapted to support a person, atransceiver, and a controller. The transceiver is adapted to wirelesslycommunicate with a headwall interface positioned off of the personsupport apparatus and the controller is adapted to automatically send acommunication link disconnect signal from the transceiver to theheadwall interface without requiring a user of the person supportapparatus to activate a control designated for disconnecting thecommunication link.

The headwall interface, after receiving the disconnect signal, maycommunicate information to a nurse call system indicating that theperson support apparatus has intentionally disconnected itself fromcommunicating with the nurse call system, thereby allowing the nursecall system to avoid issuing a disconnect alert.

The disconnect signal may be based at least partially upon any one ormore of the following: the status of a brake sensor on the personsupport apparatus, the status of an A/C power cable on the personsupport apparatus, and the signal strength of the communications betweenthe person support apparatus and the headwall interface.

According to another embodiment, a person support apparatus system isprovided that includes a person support apparatus having a supportsurface adapted to support a person, a first transceiver coupled to theperson support apparatus, and a headwall interface having a secondtransceiver. The first and second transceivers are adapted to wirelesslycommunicate with each other. The headwall interface further includes athird transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a local areanetwork positioned within a facility in which the person supportapparatus is located. The headwall interface is adapted to forward datareceived from the local area network via the third transceiver using thesecond transceiver to the person support apparatus.

In some embodiments, the data received from the local area networkincludes an update for software executed by at least one controllerpositioned on the person support apparatus.

In still other embodiments, the support apparatus system includes afourth transceiver positioned on the person support apparatus andadapted to wirelessly receive location information from a locator,wherein the locator is positioned off of the person support apparatusand at a fixed location, and wherein the location information relates tothe position of the person support apparatus within a healthcarefacility. The first, second, and third transceivers are radio frequencytransceivers, and the fourth transceiver is an optical transceiver, suchas an infrared transceiver, in at least some embodiments.

The third transceiver communicates using a protocol that follows any 802standard of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE), such as, but not limited to, 802.11 (WiFi), 802.15.1(Bluetooth), and/or 802.15.4 (ZigBee).

In any of the embodiments, the person support apparatus may be a bed,recliner, cot, stretcher, operating table, or other type of structureadapted to support a person.

Before the various embodiments disclose herein are explained in detail,it is to be understood that the claims are not to be limited to thedetails of operation or to the details of construction and thearrangement of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The embodiments described herein arecapable of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways notexpressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant toencompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well asadditional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may beused in the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwiseexpressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed aslimiting the claims to any specific order or number of components. Norshould the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the scopeof the claims any additional steps or components that might be combinedwith or into the enumerated steps or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of person support apparatus systemaccording to a first embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a headwall interface of the personsupport apparatus system and a first type of headwall connector;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the headwall interface of FIG. 2 and anadapter cable for coupling the headwall interface to a second type ofheadwall connector;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the internal components of the person supportapparatus system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view diagram of a room showing an illustrative layoutof the person support apparatus system;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the person support apparatus systemshowing the person support apparatus in a state where a communicationlink with the headwall interface is established;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the person support apparatus systemshowing the headwall interface in an unplugged and alerting state;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the person support apparatus systemshowing the communication link between the person support apparatus andheadwall interface being intentionally terminated as the person supportapparatus is moved away from the headwall interface;

FIG. 9 is a plan view diagram of a room showing an illustrative layoutof an alternative person support apparatus system;

FIG. 10 is plan view diagram of a room showing an illustrative layout ofyet another alternative person support apparatus system; and

FIG. 11 is a graph of the result of a signal strength modificationalgorithm applied to the wireless communication between a person supportapparatus and its associated headwall interface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

An illustrative layout of a person support apparatus system 18 is shownin FIG. 1 according to one embodiment. Person support apparatus system18 includes a person support apparatus 20 having a mobile wireless unit36 and a headwall interface 38. For purposes of visual descriptionherein, person support apparatus 20 is shown in the accompanyingdrawings as a hospital bed, but it will be understood that personsupport apparatus 20 can be alternatively implemented as a cot,stretcher, chair, recliner, operating table, or other apparatus that iscapable of supporting a person. Person support apparatus 20 of FIG. 1includes a support surface 22 on which a mattress 24 is positioned toallow a person to lie or sit thereon. Person support apparatus 20further includes a base 26 having a plurality of wheels 28 that allowperson support apparatus 20 to be moved to different locations. Stillfurther, person support apparatus 20 of FIG. 1 includes a headboard 30,a footboard 32, and a plurality of siderails 34.

The construction of person support apparatus 20 may take on a widevariety of different forms. In some embodiments, other than thecomponents described below, person support apparatus 20 is constructedin any of the manners described in commonly assigned, U.S. Pat. No.8,689,376 issued Apr. 8, 2014 by inventors David Becker et al. andentitled PATIENT HANDLING DEVICE INCLUDING LOCAL STATUS INDICATION,ONE-TOUCH FOWLER ANGLE ADJUSTMENT, AND POWER-ON ALARM CONFIGURATION, thecomplete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.In other embodiments, those components of person support apparatus 20not described below are constructed in any of the manners described incommonly assigned, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/775,285 filedFeb. 25, 2013 by inventors Guy Lemire et al. and entitled HOSPITAL BED,the complete disclosure of which is also hereby incorporated herein byreference. Still further, in other embodiments, those components ofperson support apparatus 20 not described below are constructed in anyof the manners disclosed in commonly assigned, U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/212,009 filed Mar. 14, 2014 by inventors Christopher Houghet al., and entitled MEDICAL SUPPORT APPARATUS. In still otherembodiments, person support apparatus 20 takes on other constructions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile wireless unit 36 is adapted to wirelesslycommunicate with the headwall interface 38 mounted to a headwall 40 of aroom 42. Headwall interface 38 is adapted to communicate with aconventional headwall connector 44 that is integrated into headwall 40.Headwall connector 44, in turn, is adapted to communicate with both aconventional nurse call system 46 and a conventional room environmentalcontrol 48. As will be discussed in greater detail below, mobilewireless unit 36 and headwall interface 38 are adapted to establish acommunication link that allows person support apparatus 20 tocommunicate with the conventional nurse call system 46 and/or theconventional room environmental control 48 without the need, such as inprior systems, to connect a cable between person support apparatus 20and headwall connector 44. This relieves a caregiver of a patientsupported on person support apparatus 20 of the need to make this manualwired connection, thereby reducing the labor of the caregiver. This alsorelieves the caregiver of the need to manually disconnect the wiredcable—that would otherwise be necessary—when moving the person supportapparatus 20 to a new location. Still further, this reduces the physicalclutter within the vicinity of person support apparatus 20.

FIG. 2 illustrates headwall interface 38 in more detail. Headwallinterface 38 includes an integral plug 50 that is adapted to be insertedinto headwall connector 44, which is typically a conventional headwallconnector that exists within a medical facility for making electricalconnections to the existing nurse call system 46 and/or environmentalcontrols 48. Headwall connector 44 is a receptacle that is dimensionedand shaped to selectively frictionally retain plug 50, as well as theentire headwall interface 38, therein. One or more mounting screws 52may be included with plug 50 in order to more securely retain headwallinterface 38 to connector 44, if desired.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, plug 50 is a 37 pin connector thatincludes 37 pins adapted to be inserted into 37 mating sockets ofheadwall connector 44. Such 37 pin connections are one of the mostcommon types of connectors found on existing headwalls of medicalfacilities for making connections to the nurse call system 46 and/or theenvironmental controls 48. Headwall interface 38 of FIG. 2 is thereforeconfigured to mate with one of the most common type of headwallconnectors 44 used in medical facilities. Such 37 pin connectors,however, are not the only type of connectors, and it will be understoodthat headwall interface 38 can be adapted to electrically couple todifferent types of headwall connectors 44.

For example, FIG. 3 illustrates headwall interface 38 coupled to analternative type of headwall connector 44′ using an adapter cable 54.Adapter cable 54 includes a receptacle 55 at one end that has 37 socketsthat are adapted to mate with the 37 pins of plug 50 of headwallinterface 38. Adapter cable 54 includes a plug 57 at its opposite endthat is adapted to electrically and physically couple to headwallconnector 44′. Adapter cable 54 therefore electrically couples the 37pin connection of plug 50 to a headwall connector, such as headwallconnector 44′, that does not have 37 pins and/or that is shaped and/ordimensioned to receive plugs of a different kind than plug 50 includedon the body of headwall interface 38. Headwall connector 44′, likeheadwall connector 44, communicates with nurse call system 46 and/orenvironmental control(s) 48.

Although only one type of adapter cable 54 has been illustrated herein(FIG. 3), it will be understood that additional types of adapter cables54 may be provided that enable headwall interface 38 to communicativelycouple to whatever type of headwall connector 44 that is present in agiven healthcare facility or a particular room of a given healthcarefacility. As is known to a person of skill in the art, there are manymore types of connectors currently in use than the two illustrated inFIGS. 2 and 3, and any appropriate cables, adapters, or other devicesmay be used to enable the plug 50 of headwall interface 38 to couple toconnector 44. It will also be understood that headwall interface 38 canbe modified to include one or more plugs that are different than the 37pin plug 50 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. As but one example, headwallinterface 38 can be modified to include a plug that couples directly tothe headwall connector 44′ of FIG. 3, and that uses an adapter cable tocouple to the 37 pin connector 44 of FIG. 2. Many other variations arealso, of course, possible.

Regardless of the physical form factor of the headwall connector 44,headwall interface 38 is adapted to wirelessly receive signals fromperson support apparatus 20 and deliver the signals to headwallconnector 44 in a manner that matches the way the signals wouldotherwise be delivered to headwall connector 44 were a conventionalcable connected between person support apparatus 20 and headwallconnector 44. In other words, mobile wireless unit 36 and headwallinterface 38 cooperate together to provide signals to headwall connector44 in a manner that is transparent to connector 44 such that connector44 is unaware of whether it is communicatively coupled directly toperson support apparatus 20 via a cable, or whether it iscommunicatively coupled to person support apparatus 20 via thecombination of headwall interface 38 and mobile wireless unit 36. Inthis manner, a healthcare facility can utilize the wirelesscommunication abilities of one or more person support apparatuses 20without having to make any changes to their existing headwall connectors44 (or to their nurse call system 46 or environmental controls 48). Useof this wireless communication ability merely requires mobile wirelessunit 36, headwall interface 38, and, if necessary, an adapter cable 54coupled between the headwall interface 38 and the headwall connector 44.

In at least one embodiment, in addition to sending signals received frommobile wireless unit 36 of person support apparatus 20 to headwallconnector 44, headwall interface 38 is also adapted to forward signalsreceived from headwall connector 44 to mobile wireless unit 36 of personsupport apparatus 20. Headwall interface 38 is therefore adapted, in atleast one embodiment, to provide bidirectional communication betweenperson support apparatus 20 and headwall connector 44. Suchbidirectional communication includes, but is not limited to,communicating audio signals between a person supported on person supportapparatus 20 and a caregiver positioned remotely from person supportapparatus 20 (which is accomplished by headwall interface 38 forwardingthe audio signals of the person on person support apparatus 20 to nursecall system 46, and vice versa).

Headwall interface 38 communicates the data and signals it receives frommobile wireless unit 36 to connector 44 by directing the incoming dataand signals it receives to the appropriate pin or pins of headwallconnector 44. For example, when headwall connector 44 includes 37sockets for coupling to a 37 pin plug, it is common for pins #30 and #31of connector 44 to be used for indicating a “priority alert,” which isoften synonymous with an alert that is issued when a patient exits fromperson support apparatus 20. Further, depending upon the particularconfiguration that has been implemented at a particular healthcarefacility, the connection between pins #30 and #31 may be normally openor it may be normally closed. Regardless of whether it is normally openor normally closed, whenever headwall interface 38 receives a messagefrom mobile wireless unit 36 that a person has exited from personsupport apparatus 20, headwall interface 38 will change the status ofpins #30 and #31 such that they switch from whatever state they arenormally in to their opposite state. Headwall interface 38 thereforereacts to the exit message it receives from mobile wireless unit 36 byeither opening or closing pins #30 and #31. The nurse call system 46that is communicatively coupled to headwall connector 44 interprets thisopening or closing of pins #30 and #31 in the same manner as if a cablewere coupled between headwall connector 44, such as by sending theappropriate signals to one or more nurse's stations, flashing a lightoutside the room of person support apparatus 20, forwarding a call to amobile communication device carried by the caregiver assigned to theoccupant of person support apparatus 20, and/or taking other steps,depending upon the specific configuration of the nurse call system.

In addition to sending data indicating that an occupant of personsupport apparatus 20 has exited, or is about to exit, from supportsurface 22, mobile wireless unit 36 is configured, in at least oneembodiment, to wirelessly send to headwall interface 38 at least thefollowing additional messages: messages to turn on or off one or moreroom lights; messages to turn on or off one or more reading lights;messages to increase or decrease the volume of a nearby television set;messages to change a channel of the nearby television set; and messagescontaining audio packets generated from one or more microphones on theperson support apparatus 20 into which an occupant of person supportapparatus 20 speaks when desiring to communicate with a remotecaregiver. In other embodiments, mobile wireless unit 36 is configuredto wirelessly send to headwall interface 38 any one or more of thefollowing messages, either in addition to or in lieu of any one or moreof the messages just mentioned: messages indicating the current statusof one or more siderails 34 of person support apparatus 20 (e.g. whetherthe side rails are up or down, or have changed position); messagesindicating the current status of a brake on person support apparatus 20;messages indicating the current status of the height of support surface22 relative to base 26 (e.g. such as whether support surface 22 is atits lowest height or not); messages indicating the current angle of ahead section of support surface 22 that is adapted to support apatient's torso and head; messages indicating the current status of anexit detection system (e.g. whether the exit detection system is armedor not); messages indicating the current charging status of one or morebatteries on person support apparatus 20; messages indicating thecurrent status of an alternating current (A/C) power cable on personsupport apparatus 20 (e.g. whether it is plugged in or not); diagnosticinformation about person support apparatus 20; and/or any other messagescontaining information about person support apparatus 20 which may beuseful to communicate to a remote location.

In at least one embodiment, headwall interface 38 is further configuredto transmit information to headwall connector that does not originatefrom person support apparatus 20, but instead is generated internallywithin headwall interface 38. For example, in one embodiment, headwallinterface 38 is adapted to forward to headwall connector 44 a signalthat indicates a “cord out” alert whenever the communication linkbetween headwall interface 38 and mobile wireless unit 36 isunintentionally lost. In many instances, when a conventional cable iscoupled between headwall connector 44 and a hospital bed, and the cableis inadvertently disconnected, the electrical status of pins 10 and 11(in a conventional 37 pin connection) will be changed such that thenurse call system will recognize that the cable has become disconnected,and will therefore issue an appropriate alert to the appropriatepersonnel. Headwall interface 38 is configured to make the same changesto pins 10 and 11 when it unintentionally loses communication withmobile wireless unit 36 that would be made to pins 10 and 11 if a cableconnection between person support apparatus 20 and connector 44 hasbecome unintentionally disconnected. Thus, headwall interface 38 andmobile wireless unit 36 together include the same ability to provide anindication to headwall connector 44 of an unintentional disconnectionthat exists in some currently-available cable connections to headwallconnectors. Still other types of signals that originate from withinheadwall interface 38 may also be sent to headwall connector 44 inaddition to, or in lieu of, this cord out alert.

In addition to forwarding any of the above-described messages or signalsto headwall connector 44, headwall interface 38 is also adapted, in atleast one embodiment, to forward the following messages to wireless unit36 based on information it receives from headwall connector 44: messagesindicating the establishment and disestablishment of a nurse-callcommunication link (e.g. messages used for turning on and off a “nurseanswer” light on person support apparatus 20); and messages containingaudio packets of a caregiver's voice (generated from a microphone intowhich the caregiver speaks and forwarded to the appropriate pins ofconnector 44).

In other embodiments, one or more additional messages are alsotransmitted to mobile wireless unit 36 that originate from withinheadwall interface 38, rather than from connector 44. Such messagesinclude any one or more of the following: the charge status of a battery114 (FIG. 4) contained within headwall interface 38; acknowledgements ofmessages transmitted from mobile wireless unit 36 to headwall interface38; and messages used to establish, maintain, and disestablish thecommunication link between mobile wireless unit 36 and headwallinterface 38.

One example of the internal components of both mobile wireless unit 36and headwall interface 38 is shown in FIG. 4. As can be seen, mobilewireless unit 36 includes a controller 58 that is in electricalcommunication with a radio module 60, as well as a headwall hardwareinterface 62, a mobile locator transceiver 64, a main person supportapparatus controller 66, an audio amplifier 68, a microphone 70, and adisplay 72. Audio amplifier 68, in turn, is in electrical communicationwith one or more speakers 74. Controller 58 of mobile wireless unit 36,as well as main controller 66 of person support apparatus 20, may takeon a variety of different forms, such as, but not limited to,commercially available off-the-shelf microcontrollers.

For example, in one embodiment, controller 58 is any one of the i.MXfamily of system-on-chip (SoC) processors, and main controller 66 is anyone of the Kinetis K60 family of microcontroller units (MCUs), both ofwhich are marketed by Freescale Semiconductor of Austin, Tex. Othertypes of commercially available microcontrollers may also be used. Stillfurther, controllers 58 and 66 may take on still other forms, such asany combination of any one or more microprocessors, field programmablegate arrays, systems on a chip, volatile or nonvolatile memory, discretecircuitry, and/or other hardware, software, or firmware that is capableof carrying out the functions described herein, as would be known to oneof ordinary skill in the art. Such components can be physicallyconfigured in any suitable manner, such as by mounting them to one ormore circuit boards, or arranging them in other manners, whethercombined into a single unit or distributed across multiple units. Theinstructions followed by controllers 58 and 66 in carrying out thefunctions described herein, as well as the data necessary for carryingout these functions, are stored in one or more accessible memories (notshown).

Main controller 66 is responsible for carrying out the overalloperations of person support apparatus 20, while controller 58 isresponsible for carrying out the communication between person supportapparatus 20 and headwall interface 38. In some embodiments, a singlecontroller that combines the functions of main controller 66 andcontroller 58 is used. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, maincontroller 66 is in communication with one or more indicators 76, one ormore sensors 78, and one or more motors 80. Indicators 76 may, forexample, be any one or more lights, buzzers, displays, or the like thatare able to provide an indication in aural or visual form to an occupantof person support apparatus 20, or to a caregiver associated with personsupport apparatus 20. Sensors 78 include sensors that are adapted todetect parameters of person support apparatus 20, such as, but notlimited to, the status of a brake for wheels 28; the presence, absence,and/or movement of an occupant of person support apparatus 20 on supportsurface 22; the height of support surface 22 relative to base 26; thestatus (raised or lowered) of one or more siderails 34; the armed ordisarmed state of an exit detection system (that detects the presence,absence, and/or movement of the occupant of person support apparatus 20on support surface 22); and/or other parameters. Motors 80 providemovement to one or more components of person support apparatus 20, suchas, but not limited to, raising and lowering the height of supportsurface 22 relative to base 26, and/or raising and lowering one or moresections of support surface 22. As will be discussed in greater detailbelow, main controller 66 is adapted to forward information from one ormore of sensors 78 to controller 58 of mobile wireless unit 36 forforwarding to headwall interface 38.

Controller 58 of mobile wireless unit 36, in addition to being incommunication with main controller 66, is also in communication withaudio amplifier 68 for purposes of delivering audio signals to speakers74. Such audio signals include the audio signals received by mobilewireless unit 36 from headwall interface 38 that correspond to the voiceof a caregiver who is speaking from a remote location to an occupant ofperson support apparatus 20. Further, in some embodiments, controller 58may send audio signals to audio amplifier 68 and speakers 74 that arereceived from other sources, such as from a server located on a localarea network (not shown) of the healthcare facility in which personsupport apparatus 20 is positioned.

When an occupant of person support apparatus 20 wishes to speak to acaregiver at a remote location via the facility's nurse call system 46,he or she speaks into microphone 70. Controller 58 digitizes the auralsignals and forwards them to headwall interface 38 which, in turn,directs them to the appropriate pin on headwall connector 44 (whichthereafter transmits the signals to the caregiver via nurse call system46).

Mobile wireless unit 36 communicates wirelessly with headwall interface38 via radio module 60. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, radiomodule 60 includes four separate transceivers: a Bluetooth transceiver(IEEE 802.15.1) 82 a, a WiFi transceiver (IEEE 802.11) 84 a, a ZigBeetransceiver (IEEE 802.15.4) 86 a, and a 900 MHz transceiver 88 a. Itwill be understood that the number of transceivers within radio module60 can vary from the four shown in FIG. 4, and that the protocols usedfor the transceivers can take on different forms than those illustratedin FIG. 4. Radio module 60 communicates wirelessly with a radio module90 contained within headwall interface 38. Radio module 90 includes fourtransceivers: a Bluetooth transceiver 82 b that communicates withBluetooth transceiver 82 a of mobile wireless unit 36; a WiFitransceiver 84 b that communicates with WiFi transceiver 84 a of mobilewireless unit 36; a ZigBee transceiver 86 b that communicates withZigBee transceiver 86 a of mobile wireless unit 36; and a 900 MHztransceiver 88 b that communicates with 900 MHz transceiver 88 a ofmobile wireless unit 36. As with radio module 60, radio module 90 can bemodified to include a different number of transceivers, as well as oneor more transceivers that use different wireless communication protocolsfrom those shown in FIG. 4. Radio modules 60 and 90 communicate themessages previously described (e.g. nurse-call audio signals, exitdetection alerts, status of brakes, side rails, etc.). It will beunderstood that the use of the term “transceiver” herein is intended tocover not only devices that include a transmitter and receiver containedwithin a single unit, but also devices having a transmitter separatefrom a receiver, and/or any other devices that are capable of bothtransmitting and receiving signals or messages.

Mobile wireless unit 36 and headwall interface 38, in at least oneembodiment, include radio modules 60 and 90, respectively, that eachincludes only two transceivers—one of which is used to communicate databetween mobile wireless unit 36 and headwall interface 38, and the otherof which is used to communicate audio signals. Furthermore, in at leastone embodiment, the transceivers used to transmit data are capable oftransmitting binary data packets at a rate of at least 10 kilobits persecond with a delay of less than 100 milliseconds; and the transceiversused to communicate the audio signals have a bandwidth of at least 8kilohertz and transmits the audio signals with less than 400milliseconds of delay. Other bandwidths and delay thresholds can, ofcourse, be used for either or both sets of transceivers.

In the embodiment of person support apparatus system 18 shown in FIG. 4,controller 58 of mobile wireless unit 36 further communicates withheadwall hardware interface 62. Headwall hardware interface 62 includesa receptacle (not labeled) for receiving a cable 92 that can be pluggedin at its other end to headwall connector 44. Thus, the particularembodiment of person support apparatus 20 that is shown in FIG. 4 iscapable of communicating with headwall connector 44 in either a wired orwireless fashion. To communicate in a wired fashion, cable 92 isconnected between headwall connector 44 and headwall hardware interface62. To communicate in a wireless fashion, headwall interface 38 isplugged into headwall connector 44 instead of cable 92.

In at least one alternative embodiment, headwall interface 38 includes apass through connector (not shown) that is adapted to receive the end ofcable 92 that normally plugs into headwall connector and to seamlesslypass the data and/or audio signals received from cable 92 to plug 50,which fits into headwall connector 44. Similarly, the data and/or audiosignals received via plug 50 from headwall connector 44 are seamlesslypassed to cable 92. The pass through connector therefore allows ahealthcare facility to keep headwall interface 38 affixed to headwallconnector 44 at all times and to simply use whichever of the twocommunication options (wired or wireless) that a particular personsupport apparatus 20 is capable of without having to remove or installheadwall interface 38 for different types of person support apparatuses.In other words, if a particular person support apparatus 20 does notinclude wireless capability, a user can simply plug cable 92 into thepass through connector of headwall interface 38. On the other hand, if aparticular person support apparatus 20 does include wireless capability,a user need not plug anything into headwall interface 38, nor take anyother steps to enable the wireless communication because headwallinterface 38 is already coupled to connector 44.

In still another embodiment, headwall interface 38 is integrated intothe headwall 40 as part of headwall connector 44—either with or withoutthe pass through connector—rather than being a separate unit that a userconnects and disconnects from connector 44. In this embodiment, thespace on headwall 40 that would otherwise be occupied by headwallinterface 38 remains unoccupied, thereby reducing clutter and freeingthis space for other uses. When headwall interface 38 is integrated intoheadwall connector 44, it may also include its own separate and directconnection to the A/C mains line, rather than having a separate powercable that must be plugged into an A/C outlet by personnel, therebymaking one more A/C outlet available for powering other devices andreducing the work load involved in using headwall interface 38.

In yet another alternative embodiment, mobile wireless unit 36 is a unitthat is physically separate from person support apparatus 20 but isadapted to be selectively plugged into and unplugged from person supportapparatus 20 (such as, but not limited to, a dongle). For example, inone embodiment, mobile wireless unit 36 is plugged into the connector inheadwall hardware interface 62 that is otherwise used to couple cable 92between person support apparatus 20 and connector 44. Thus, if awireless connection to connector 44 is desired, mobile wireless unit 36is plugged into headwall hardware interface 62 instead of a cable. Thisenables wireless communication between person support apparatus 20 andheadwall interface 38 without having to make any modifications to personsupport apparatus. When so constructed, mobile wireless unit 36 cantherefore be used to convert existing person support apparatuses 20 thatdo not include wireless communication abilities into person supportapparatuses that are capable of wireless communication. Further, when soconstructed, mobile wireless unit 36 communicates with main controller66, audio amplifier 68, and mobile locator transceiver 64 via headwallhardware interface 62, rather than directly (as it does in theembodiment shown in FIG. 4).

Mobile wireless unit 36 further communicates with mobile locatortransceiver 64. Mobile locator transceiver 64 is adapted to wirelesslycommunicate with a nearby fixed locator unit 94 (FIG. 4). Fixed locatorunits 94 are positioned at fixed locations around a healthcare facility,such as adjacent each individual bay or area that a bed, or other personsupport apparatus, is customarily positioned. For example, in a typicalhospital room that is designed to accommodate two patients, a firstfixed locator unit 94 would be positioned adjacent the area in the roomwhere the first bed was normally located, and a second fixed locatorunit 94 would be positioned adjacent the area in the room where thesecond bed was normally located.

Each fixed locator unit 94 includes a controller 96, a battery 98, and afixed locator transceiver 100. Controller 96 is programmed with a uniqueID that uniquely identifies each individual fixed locator unit 94 withina given healthcare facility from each and every other fixed locator unit94 within that healthcare facility. Further, controller 96 is programmedto respond to any interrogation from a mobile locator transceiver 64 bytransmitting that unique ID to the interrogating mobile locatortransceiver 64. Fixed locator transceiver 100 utilizes infrared wavesfor communicating with mobile locator transceiver 64 in at least oneembodiment, although it will be understood that other communicationtechnologies may be used.

In the optical (infrared) communications embodiment shown in FIG. 4,fixed locator unit 94 is configured such that its transceiver 100 has acommunication range that is limited to a relatively small physical areain which a person support apparatus 20 is likely to be positioned. Moreparticularly, the communication range of transceiver 100 is limited suchthat it cannot communicate with a person support apparatus 20 that ispositioned near a second transceiver 100 of a second fixed locator unit94. Thus, for example, in a hospital room adapted to accommodate up totwo patients in two different beds, a first fixed locator unit 94 has acommunication range that does not extend beyond the area in which thefirst bed is normally positioned. Likewise, the second fixed locatorunit 94 has a communication range that does not extend beyond the areain which the second bed is normally positioned. Thus, when a first bed,or other first person support apparatus 20, is positioned in the firstarea of the room, the first bed is only able to communicate with thefirst fixed locator transceiver 100 of the first fixed locator unit 94,and it is not able to communicate with the second fixed locatortransceiver 100 of the second fixed locator unit 94. Consequently, whenthe first bed, or other first person support apparatus, sends out aninterrogation signal via its mobile locator transceiver 64, it will onlyreceive a response from first fixed locator transceiver 100, and notsecond fixed locator transceiver 100, which is out of its communicationrange. Thus, the first bed will receive the unique ID of the first fixedlocator unit 94 and the second bed—when placed in the area of the roomwhere the second bed normally resides (e.g. adjacent second fixedlocator unit 94)—will receive the unique ID of the second fixed locatorunit 94.

The trigger for person support apparatus 20 sending out one or moreinterrogation signals to a fixed locator unit 94 using mobile locatortransceiver 64 can vary in different embodiments. In one embodiment,controller 58 instructs transceiver 64 to send out an interrogationsignal whenever the brakes of person support apparatus 20 are applied(as detected by a brake sensor 78, which communicates this informationto controller 58 through main controller 66) and/or whenever an A/Cpower cord of person support apparatus 20 is plugged into an A/C walloutlet (as is detected by an A/C power sensor 78, which communicatesthis information to controller 58 through main controller 66). Aftersending out the interrogation signal, mobile locator transceiver 64awaits the response from fixed locator unit 94 that contains the uniqueID of that particular fixed locator unit 94. Mobile wireless unit 36uses this unique ID in determining which headwall interface 38 tocommunicate with, as will be explained in further detail below withreference to FIG. 5.

In one embodiment, fixed locator units 94 are bed bay wall modules soldby Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Mich. as part of its ConnectedHospital product line. In another embodiment, fixed locator units 94 maybe one or more of the locating units disclosed in commonly assigned U.S.Pat. No. 8,102,254 issued to David Becker et al. and entitled LOCATIONDETECTION SYSTEM FOR A PATIENT HANDLING DEVICE, the complete disclosureof which is incorporated herein by reference.

In yet another embodiment, fixed locator units 94 may be part of aconventional locating and tracking system that is adapted to detect thepresence, and location of, assets that are equipped with ID tags, suchas, but not limited to, RF ID tags. When this embodiment is implemented,person support apparatuses 20 each include an asset tag, therebyenabling the locating and tracking system to determine the location ofthe person support apparatus. This location information is thenforwarded to the person support apparatus 20, either via headwallconnector 44, or wirelessly from a local area network of the hospitalusing one of the transceivers contained within radio module 90 ofheadwall interface 38 (which then forwards the information to personsupport apparatus. Once person support apparatus 20 knows its currentlocation, it utilizes a database indicating which headwall interface 38it should communicate with based upon its current location. Thisdatabase may be completely stored in memory on board person supportapparatus 20, or the relevant portions of it may be forwarded to personsupport apparatus 20 in the same manner that the current location ofperson support apparatus is forwarded.

FIG. 5 illustrates an arbitrary layout of a person support apparatussystem 18 including an arbitrary room 42 of a healthcare facility inwhich two person support apparatuses 20 a and 20 b are positioned. Themanner in which each of the person support apparatuses 20 a and 20 bautomatically establish a communication link with the correspondingheadwall interface 38 a and 38 b will now be described with reference toFIG. 5. When first and second headwall interfaces 38 a and 38 b areinitially installed within room 42, the unique ID of first fixed locatorunit 94 a is input into first headwall interface 38 a and the unique IDof second locator unit 94 b is input into second headwall interface 38b. The inputting of this data into each of units 94 a and 94 b may takeon a variety of different forms, such as by setting appropriate dipswitches on each of units 94 a and 94 b that corresponds to the uniqueIDs; uploading the unique IDs via a USB port, or other type ofelectronic port, integrated into each headwall interface 38 a and 38 b;having each headwall interface 38 a and 38 b connect to a server on alocal area network using, for example, WiFi transceiver 84 b, anddownloading from the server the corresponding unique IDs; or by othermeans. Regardless of the manner of inputting this information, headwallinterface 38 a is configured during set-up to have stored in its memorythe unique ID of its corresponding fixed locator unit 94 a; and headwallinterface 38 b is configured during set-up to have stored in its memorythe unique ID of its corresponding fixed locator unit 94 b.

After mobile locator transceiver 64 a of first person support apparatus20 a receives the unique ID from fixed locator unit 94 a, it transmits amessage via mobile wireless unit 36 that contains this unique ID usingits radio module 60. Because radio module 60 uses radio frequencytransmissions, this transmission will typically and likely have atransmission range that is broad enough such that both headwallinterfaces 38 a and 38 b will receive it (and possibly other headwallinterfaces 38 that are positioned in other rooms within the healthcarefacility). When each of first and second headwall interfaces 38 a and 38b receive this message, they will each check the unique ID that isincluded within the message and compare it to the unique ID stored intheir memories that correspond to the unique ID of their associatedfixed locator unit 94 a and 94 b, respectively. In this case, firstheadwall interface 38 a will make this comparison and determine that itis a match, while second headwall interface 38 b will make thiscomparison and determine that it is not a match. Second headwallinterface 38 b will therefore ignore this message, while first headwallinterface 38 a will respond with one or more messages that establish acommunication link between first person support apparatus 20 a and firstheadwall interface 38 a.

The initial message sent by person support apparatus 20 a to wirelessheadwall interface 38 a (which may be received by headwall interface 38b and/or other interfaces 38) also contains, in at least one embodiment,an ID that uniquely identifies person support apparatus 20 a. Whenheadwall interface 38 a responds to this message, it includes thisperson support apparatus ID within its message. In this manner, ifsecond person support apparatus 20 b also detects this responsivemessage, second person support apparatus 20 b will ignore this messagebecause it contains the unique ID of first person support apparatus 20a, and therefore is not intended to be acted upon by second personsupport apparatus 20 b. Subsequent messages between person supportapparatus 20 a and headwall interface 38 a will include the unique IDfrom locator unit 94 a and/or the unique person support apparatus ID ofperson support apparatus 20 a and/or some other set of unique IDs thatenable the messages passed between headwall interface 38 a and personsupport apparatus 20 a to be distinguished from messages that may bebeing transmitted between second person support apparatus 20 b andsecond headwall interface 38 b, and/or between other person supportapparatuses 20 and their corresponding headwall interfaces 38. The useof such IDs enables person support apparatus 20 a and headwall interface38 a to set up a communications link in which their messages are ignoredby other devices that may receive them, as well as to ignore messagesthat they may receive from other devices that do not include the correctIDs.

Second person support apparatus 20 b sets up a communication link withsecond headwall interface 38 b in a similar manner. That is, mobilelocator transceiver 64 b of the second person support apparatus 20 b,after receiving the unique ID from second locator unit 94 b, forwards amessage via mobile wireless unit 36 b that contains the unique ID fromsecond locator unit 94 b. This message is received by second headwallinterface 38 b (as well as possibly other headwall interfaces 38).Because second headwall interface 38 b is the only headwall interface 38that has the unique ID corresponding to second fixed locator unit 94 bstored in its memory, it will be the only headwall interface to respondto the message from second person support apparatus 20 b. The initialmessage from second person support apparatus 20 b may also contain aunique ID to second person support apparatus 20 b, which second headwallinterface 38 b includes in subsequent messages to second person supportapparatus 20 b so that those messages are not acted upon by other personsupport apparatuses. Alternatively, messages between second personsupport apparatus 20 b and second headwall interface 38 b can eachinclude the unique ID of second fixed locator unit 94 b, which will alsodistinguish these messages from other messages (such as those beingpassed back and forth between first person support apparatus 20 a andfirst headwall interface 38 a), thereby allowing the communication linkbetween second person support apparatus 20 b and second headwallinterface 38 b to ignore messages that are not intended for either ofthem, as well as to send messages that are ignored by other devices thatare not intended recipients.

In one embodiment, the trigger for a person support apparatus 20 to sendan initial message to its corresponding headwall interface is theactuation of a brake on board person support apparatus 20. In someembodiments, as mentioned, the activation of the brake is also thetrigger for sending an interrogation signal from mobile locatortransceiver 64 to an adjacent fixed locator unit 94. In thoseembodiments, mobile wireless unit 36 waits until mobile locatortransceiver 64 receives a response to its interrogation signal thatincludes the unique ID of the responding fixed locator unit 94 beforetransmitting its initial message to headwall interface 38. In otherembodiments, the trigger for a person support apparatus 20 to send aninitial message to its corresponding headwall interface 38 is theconnection of a power cable into a wall A/C outlet, as sensed by anappropriate sensor 78. In still other embodiments, other triggers areused.

The establishment of a communication link between a person supportapparatus 20 and its corresponding headwall interface 38 takes placeautomatically without requiring any steps on the part of a caregiverthat are specific to this process. In other words, the caregiver doesnot need to press a button, flip a switch, or manipulate any controls oneither person support apparatus 20 or headwall interface 38. Similarly,a caregiver does not need to identify to person support apparatus 20which specific headwall interface 38 it is supposed to communicate with,such as by plugging an A/C power cord of the person support apparatus 20into a specific A/C outlet that is associated with a specific headwallinterface 38, or by any other means. Instead, the mere positioning ofperson support apparatus 20 within the vicinity of fixed locator unit 94and the performance of normal and otherwise desired steps—such asactivating the brakes or plugging in an A/C power cord of person supportapparatus 20—will automatically cause person support apparatus 20 toestablish a communication link with the corresponding headwallinterface. Further, as was described above, this automatic establishmentwill take place without requiring user intervention even in situationswhere there are multiple headwall interfaces 38 that are withincommunication range of person support apparatus 20. In other words,person support apparatus 20 will not only automatically establish acommunication link with a headwall interface 38, it will alsoautomatically select the correct headwall interface 38 to make thatcommunication link with.

As shown in FIG. 6, person support apparatus 20 includes a plurality oflights 102 that are illuminated to provide an indication to users ofperson support apparatus 20 whether or not the communication linkbetween mobile wireless unit 36 and its corresponding headwall interface38 has been, and currently is, successful. In the particular embodimentshown in FIG. 6, lights 102 are positioned at a head end of personsupport apparatus 20, which is normally positioned closest to headwall40. More specifically, lights 102 are integrated into headboard 30 ofperson support apparatus, and include a first light positioned on afirst side of headboard 30 and a second light positioned on a secondside of headboard 30. By being positioned on headboard 30, lights 102are typically visible to a user regardless of the angular orientation ofa head section of person support apparatus 20. Further, by beingpositioned at the head end of person support apparatus 20, which isclosest to headwall 40, the lights create a visual suggestion of theassociation of the person support apparatus 20 to the adjacent headwall40 (and its headwall interface 38). Other arrangements, numbers, and/orpositions of lights 102 may be implemented on person support apparatus20.

Prior to mobile wireless unit 36 of person support apparatus 20establishing a communication link with the corresponding headwallinterface 38, lights 102 are maintained in a first state (such as off,or illuminated with a particular color). After mobile wireless unit 36of person support apparatus 20 establishes a communication link with thecorresponding headwall interface 38, controller 58 (or controller 66)changes the illumination state of lights 102 to a second state (such asturning on the lights, or changing their color). In one embodiment,lights 102 are illuminated green when a communication link betweenperson support apparatus 20 and headwall interface 38 is established;lights 102 are not illuminated when no link is established; lights 102are illuminated red (either static or flashing) when a previouslyestablished communication link is unintentionally interrupted orterminated, or when a communication link is not established within apredetermined amount of time after the trigger (e.g. brake or powercord) for establishing the communication has occurred; and lights 102are illuminated yellow (either static of flashing) when a previouslyestablished communication link is intentionally being terminated. Theselatter two situations are discussed in greater detail below.

Headwall interface 38, in at least one embodiment, also includes one ormore lights 108 (FIG. 2) that have their illumination states changedbased on the status of the communication link with a particular personsupport apparatus 20. For example, in one embodiment, headwall interface38 includes one or more lights 102 that are illuminated green when thislink is established, that are not illuminated when no link has beenestablished, that are illuminated red when a previously established linkis unintentionally terminated or interrupted, and that are illuminatedyellow when a previously established communication link is in theprocess of being intentionally terminated. Other colors and/orillumination states may be implemented in other embodiments.

In at least one embodiment, headwall interface 38 is alsocommunicatively coupled to a wall indicator 104 (FIG. 6). Suchcommunication may be via a wired connection to wall indicator 104, or itmay be via a wireless connection carried out using one of thetransceivers within radio module 90 of headwall interface 38. Regardlessof the type of communication connection, indicator 104 is mounted toheadwall 40 at a height higher than support surface 22 so that itremains visible even when occupied by a person. In the embodiment shownin FIG. 6, indicator 104 includes a graphic 106 that is selectivelyilluminated and/or selectively changed based upon the status of thecommunication link between headwall interface 38 and person supportapparatus 20. For example, when person support apparatus 20 issuccessfully communicating with its corresponding headwall interface 38,the indicator 104 of FIG. 6 illuminates a graphic that includes theletters “OK.” However, if this communication link is unintentionallydisconnected or terminated, indicator 104 will change the graphic 106 toa different message, such as the exclamation point shown in FIG. 7. Inaddition, the color of light with which graphic 106 is illuminated mayalso be changed, such as from green when the link is successfullyestablished to red when the link is unintentionally disconnected.

Graphic 106 may be changed in any suitable manner. In one embodiment,graphic 106 is displayed on a display, such as a liquid crystal display(LCD), and suitable control circuitry is included within indicator 104for changing the image displayed on this display, as would be known toone of ordinary skill in the art. In another embodiment, multiplegraphics 106 are included on indicator 104, but only one of them isilluminated in accordance with the current status of the communicationlink between person support apparatus 20 and headwall interface 38.Still other variations are possible.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of person support apparatus 20,headwall interface 38, and indicator 104 when the state of thecommunication link between person support apparatus 20 and headwallinterface 38 has been unintentionally terminated, interrupted, orotherwise changed to an undesirable state. More specifically, FIG. 7illustrates headwall interface 38 with its electrical power cabledisconnected from an A/C power outlet 110. Although headwall interface38 includes battery 114 enabling it to run on battery power free fromconnection to A/C power outlet 110, headwall interface 38 is configuredto alert a user of this situation by changing the status of lights 102,wall indicator 104, and/or the light(s) on headwall interface 38. Thus,in the example shown in FIG. 7, lights 102 of person support apparatus20 are illuminated in a red color, and indicator 104 illuminates graphic106 with a red color as well. Further, as was noted, graphic 106 hasbeen changed from the “OK” letters shown in FIG. 6 to the exclamationpoint shown in FIG. 7. This provides a clear and unmistakable visualalert to any users within the vicinity of person support apparatus 20that an alert condition is present and should be rectified.

In addition to providing visual indications in the vicinity of personsupport apparatus 20 regarding the disconnection of the A/C power plugof headwall interface 38 from A/C power outlet 110, headwall interface38 is configured, in at least some embodiments, to also send a “cordout” alert signal to headwall connector 44, which transfers this signalto the nurse call system 46 of the healthcare facility. As was notedpreviously, where headwall connector 44 is a customary 37 pin connector,such cord out alerts are often generated by either opening or closingthe connection between pins 10 and 11, depending upon the type of nursecall system a particular healthcare facility has implemented. Differentelectrical signals or changes can be made by headwall interface 38 if adifferent type of connector 44 is used in order to pass the cord outalert to the nurse call system. Typically, the nurse call system willreact to this cord out alert by displaying this alert condition on thecomputer screens of one or more nurse call computers and/or byforwarding this alert information to one or more appropriate caregiverswho can rectify this situation.

In addition to sending a cord out alert to the nurse call system 46 whenheadwall interface 38 has its power cord unplugged from A/C power outlet110, headwall interface 38 is also adapted to send this cord out alertin other situations as well. For example, any time communication betweenitself and mobile wireless unit 36 is lost, decreases below a thresholdsignal strength, or otherwise suffers from any undesirable conditionsfor more than a threshold amount of time, headwall interface 38 willsend a cord out alarm signal to connector 44. The threshold amount oftime can vary, but generally is chosen to avoid sending cord out alarmsignals for transitory or very brief interruptions in the communicationlink. Still further, headwall interface 38 is adapted to send a signalto connector 44 that cancels the cord out alarm if the communicationlink is subsequently re-established.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of person support apparatus 20,headwall interface 38, and indicator 104 when the state of thecommunication link between person support apparatus 20 and headwallinterface 38 has been, or is in the process of being, intentionallyterminated. In this state, headwall interface 38 is configured to avoidsending a cord out alarm, despite the fact that the communication linkbetween headwall interface 38 and mobile wireless unit 36 is in theprocess of being terminated. Headwall interface 38 avoids sending thiscord out alarm without requiring any user interaction. That is, unlikemany conventional nurse call cables that require a caregiver to press acancel button to stop a cord out alarm when removing the nurse callcable from the headwall (e.g. connector 44), the system of FIG. 8automatically avoids the cord out alarm without requiring the caregiverto press any cancel button on person support apparatus 20, headwallinterface 38, or anywhere else; nor does it require the user to performany other steps that are specifically tailored to prevent such an alarm.This automatic process is described below.

As can be seen in more detail in FIG. 4, headwall interface 38 includesan interface controller 112, battery 114, a headwall hardware interface116, a power supply 118, and radio module 90. Controller 112 is, in oneembodiment, the same type of controller as controller 58 of mobilewireless unit 36, although it may take on other forms as well.Controller 112 processes the information received from radio module 90and, where appropriate, sends control signals to headwall hardwareinterface 116 that cause headwall hardware interface 116 to communicatewith headwall connector 44. Headwall hardware interface 116 is, in oneembodiment, the same as headwall hardware interface 62 of person supportapparatus 20, except that headwall hardware interface 116 is controlledby controller 112 (while headwall hardware interface 62 is controlled bycontroller 58). Controller 112 also processes signals and/or messagesthat are received from headwall connector 44, via headwall hardwareinterface 116, and, where appropriate, forwards them to radio module 90for transmission to mobile wireless unit 36.

In addition to passing information back and forth between mobilewireless unit 36 and headwall connector 44, headwall interface 38 alsomonitors the signal strength of the communications it receives fromradio module 60. If the signal strength drops below a threshold, orsignals are otherwise completely lost, controller 112 instructs headwallhardware interface 116 to issue the cord out alarm. This monitoring ofthe signal strength is carried out repetitively or nearly continuously,and is carried out regardless of whether or not person support apparatus20 and headwall connector 44 are communicating information between eachother at any given moment. In other words, in situations where neitherdata nor audio signals are being communicated between person supportapparatus 20 and headwall connector 44, headwall interface 38 and mobilewireless unit 36 will repetitively transmit messages back and forth toeach other that are used by each other to verify that the communicationlink between the two is still established. Controller 112 will use theselink verification messages to assess signal strength and, if they dipbelow a threshold for greater than a threshold amount of time,controller 112 will issue the cord out alarm.

Controller 112 carries out the automatic avoidance of a cord out alarm,in one embodiment, by terminating the aforementioned signal strengthanalysis after it receives a signal from radio module 60 indicating thatthe brake on person support apparatus 20 has been released. Thus, inthis embodiment, whatever happens to the signal strength after the brakeis deactivated is ignored by controller 112, at least with respect togenerating a cord out alarm. That is, headwall interface 38 will notgenerate a cord out alarm at any time after the brake has beendeactivated.

In an alternative embodiment, controller 112 carries out the automaticavoidance of a cord out alarm by analyzing the signal strength of thesignals from radio module 60 and determining whether there is arelatively gradual decrease in these signals. This analysis continueseven after a message is received by controller 112 from person supportapparatus 20 indicating that the brake has been deactivated. In thisembodiment, controller 112 periodically, or continuously, monitors thesignal strength of the wireless signals it receives from radio module 60and generates a baseline or average signal strength reading. After itreceives the message from radio module 60 indicating that the brake hasbeen deactivated on person support apparatus 20, it continues to monitorthis signal strength and compares it to the baseline or average signalstrength. If it detects that this signal strength is graduallydecreasing after the brake has been deactivated relative to the baselineor average signal strength, then controller 112 will not send a cord outalarm signal to headwall connector 44, even when the signal strengthdecreases to zero (or some other unusable level). This is becauseheadwall interface 38 interprets the gradual decrease in signal strengthfollowing the release of the brake as an intentional act by a caregiver,or other person, to move person support apparatus 20 to anotherlocation.

However, if the signal strength suddenly decreases, rather thangradually decreases, after the brake has been deactivated, headwallinterface 38 will still send a cord out alarm because it interprets thesudden loss of signal strength as being due to something other thanperson support apparatus 20 being moved to a new location. The thresholdfor distinguishing between a sudden decrease and a gradual decrease insignal strength may vary depending upon the strength of the average orbaseline signals, the sampling rate at which signal strengthmeasurements are taken, the frequencies and/or protocols used by radiomodule 60, as well as other factors.

Any of the above embodiments can also be modified or supplemented withone or more signal strength monitoring algorithms carried out bycontroller 58 of person support apparatus 20. When so implemented,controller 58 monitors the signals strength of the signals and/ormessages passed between person support apparatus 20 and headwallinterface 38. If controller 58 ever detects a gradual decrease insignals strength, either alone or in combination with the deactivationof the brake on person support apparatus 20, controller 58 determinesthat the diminution in signal strength is the result of an intentionaldisconnection from headwall interface 38 by a caregiver. In this case,controller 58 transmits one or more higher strength signals to headwallinterface 38 indicating that person support apparatus 20 hasintentionally disconnected, or is in the process of intentionallydisconnecting, from headwall interface 38. Interface 38 therefore doesnot trigger a cord out alarm.

Still further, in any of the embodiments disclosed herein, whencontroller 58 unintentionally loses communication with headwallinterface 38, controller 58 is programmed to send one or more higherstrength signals to headwall interface to attempt to re-establishcommunication with headwall interface. Alternatively, or additionally,controller 112 is also programmed to send one or more higher strengthsignals to person support apparatus 20 any time it detects anunintentional disconnection with person support apparatus 20. To theextent communication between headwall interface 38 and person supportapparatus 20 cannot be re-established through such higher power signals,headwall interface 38 sends a cord out alert signal to headwallconnector 44.

Headwall interface 38 continues to provide—similar to many currentlyexisting systems that use nurse call cables to connect beds to headwallconnectors—cord out alarms in situations where communication with personsupport apparatus 20 is unintentionally lost, and to avoid cord outalarms in situations where communication with person support apparatus20 is intentionally lost. However, headwall interface 38 and mobilewireless unit 36 improve upon conventional nurse call cable systems inthat, not only do they not require the manual disconnection of a cable,they also do not require any specific steps by a caregiver to silence,cancel, or otherwise prevent a cord out alarm in those situations wherethe communication link is being intentionally disestablished.

In another embodiment, instead of, or in addition to, using the brakedeactivation signal from person support apparatus 20 as the trigger foreither stopping a potential cord out alarm or for analyzing signalstrengths to determine whether a gradual or sudden decrease occurs,controller 112 can be configured to use a power cord disconnectionsignal from person support apparatus 20 as this trigger. In other words,in one other embodiment, controller 112 does not issue any cord outalerts after someone unplugs the A/C power cord on person supportapparatus 20; while in still another embodiment, controller 112 onlyissues a cord out alert if a sudden decrease in signal strength occursafter the A/C power cord of the person support apparatus is unplugged,but does not issue a cord out alert after this A/C cord has beenunplugged if the signal strength gradually decreases.

In still other embodiments, one or more motion sensors may beincorporated into person support apparatus 20 to detect movement ofperson support apparatus 20 along the floor. When such movement isdetected, controller 112 does not issue any cord out alerts to connector44, regardless of signal strength.

As was mentioned earlier, in the intentional disconnection situation ofFIG. 8, controller 58 and/or controller 66 of person support apparatus20 may be configured to change the status of lights 102 on personsupport apparatus 20 in order to provide visual indication to acaregiver that headwall interface 38 has determined that itscommunication link with mobile wireless unit 36 is being intentionallydisestablished. Such indication may include changing the color of lights102, such as to yellow, or other changes. Such indications provide avisual signal to the caregiver that a cord out alert is not going to betriggered. Further, such indications provide a fail-safe visualindication to the caregiver that helps avoid potential malfunctions ofheadwall interface 38. That is, if headwall interface 38 incorrectlydetermines that the communication link between itself and person supportapparatus 20 is being intentionally disconnected, a caregiver will bealerted to this incorrect determination through the visual indicationsprovided by lights 102. In other words, if the caregiver sees lights 102providing an indication of an intentional communication linkdisconnection when the caregiver did not want such an intentionaldisconnection, he or she can take steps to ensure that communicationlink remains established and/or that the cord out alarm feature is notdisabled.

Wall indicator 104 may also provide a visual indication similar to thoseprovided by lights 102 on person support apparatus 20 that indicates anintentional disconnection of the communication link between personsupport apparatus 20 and headwall interface 38. The illumination oflights 102 on person support apparatus 20 may be carried out in responseto a message sent by headwall interface 38 to person support apparatus20, or it may be carried out based upon the results of signal strengthanalysis performed by controller 58. In the latter case, controller 58carries out its own signal strength analysis similar to that describedabove and changes the state of lights 102 when an intentionaldisconnection situation is detected.

FIG. 9 illustrates an arbitrary layout of a person support apparatussystem 18 a according to an alternative embodiment. Those components ofperson support apparatus system 18 a that are common to system 18, andthat operate in the same manner as in system 18, are labeled with thesame reference numbers and are not described further below. Thosecomponents that are different are labeled with a new number, or with amodified number. Person support apparatus system 18 a differs fromperson support apparatus system 18 in that fixed locator units 94 andheadwall interfaces 38 of system 18 have been combined into a singleinterface unit 120. That is, person support apparatus system 18 aincludes a plurality of combined locator and headwall interfaces 120that provide the same function in a single unit as is provided by theseparate units 94 and interfaces 38 of system 18.

Thus, in the arbitrary layout shown in FIG. 9, when first person supportapparatus 20 a is first moved into the location shown therein, itsmobile locator transceiver 64 a sends an interrogation signal out tofirst combined locator and headwall interface unit 120 a. First combinedlocator and headwall interface unit 120 a receives this interrogationsignal and responds to it with a reply signal that includes an ID thatis unique to first combined locator and headwall interface unit 120 a.This response is transmitted by a fixed locator transceiver 100 a (notlabeled in FIG. 9) contained within first combined locator and headwallinterface unit 120 a. Because fixed locator transceiver 100 a usesoptical (infrared) communication, or some other form of communicationwhich limits its range to a small area in which first person supportapparatus 20 a is located (and excludes the area where second personsupport apparatus 20 b is located), only first person support apparatus20 a receives this response message. The limited range of transceivers64 a and 100 a ensures that only first person support apparatus 20 a andfirst combined headwall and interface unit 120 a communicate with eachother, just as the limited range of transceivers 64 b and 100 b ofsecond person support apparatus 20 b and second combined locator andinterface unit 120 b ensures that only these two devices communicatewith each other.

After mobile locator transceiver 64 a of first person support apparatus20 a receives the response message back from first combined locator andinterface unit 120 a, it passes the unique ID it received in thatmessage to first mobile wireless unit 36 a. First mobile wireless unit36 a uses this ID in the same manner previously discussed. That is, itincludes this ID in messages it sends from the one or more transceiverswithin its radio module 60 a to first combined locator and interfaceunit 120 a. Because these transceivers do not have the limited range ofmobile locator transceiver 64 a, the messages they sent will likely bereceived by second combined locator and interface unit 120 b, as well aspossible other combined locator and interface unit 120 in other rooms.However, because these other combined locator and interface units 120have a different ID than the one included in the messages sent by thetransceivers of first radio module 60 a of first person supportapparatus 20 a, they will be ignored by these other units 120 becausethese other units 120 are not the intended recipient.

Second person support apparatus 20 b will automatically establish acommunication link with second combined locator and interface unit 120 bin a similar manner as first person support apparatus 20 a and firstcombined locator and interface unit 120 a. Once a communication link hasbeen established between a person support apparatus 20 and itscorresponding combined locator and interface unit 120 in system 18 a,the system will operate in the same manner as was described above withrespect to system 18. Thus, system 18 a differs from system 18 only inthat the functionality of locator units 94 and headwall interfaces 38are combined into a single unit.

FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment of a person support apparatussystem 18 b. Those components of person support apparatus system 18 bthat are common to system 18, and that operate in the same manner as insystem 18, are labeled with the same reference numbers and are notdescribed further below. Those components that are different are labeledwith a new number, or with a modified number. Person support apparatussystem 18 b differs from person support apparatus system 18 in that itincludes the ability of multiple person support apparatuses 20 tocommunicate with a single headwall interface 38. For example, in theexemplary layout of FIG. 10, first and second person support apparatus20 a and 20 b are specifically beds, while third person supportapparatus 20 c is a recliner. Further, both person support apparatuses20 a and 20 c communicate with first headwall interface 38 a. Thecommunication between person support apparatus 20 a and first headwallinterface 38 a operates in the same manner described above.

The communication between person support apparatus 20 c and firstheadwall interface 38 a may operate in either of two different ways,depending upon the embodiment of person support apparatus 20 c and/or 20a. The first manner is direct communication. The second manner isintermediated communication. In the first manner, person supportapparatus 20 c uses one or more of its wireless transceivers (containedwithin a radio module 60) to directly communicate with first headwallinterface 38 a. In the second manner, person support apparatus 20 c usesone or more of its wireless transceivers to communicate with personsupport apparatus 20 a, which then shuttles messages and signals, asappropriate, back and forth between first headwall interface 38 a andperson support apparatus 20 c. Person support apparatus 20 a thereforeacts as an intermediary between person support apparatus 20 c and firstheadwall interface 38 a in this second type of communication.

Person support apparatus 20 c may take on a wide variety of differentforms. In one embodiment, person support apparatus 20 c is implementedin accordance with any of the recliner embodiments disclosed in commonlyassigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/212,323 filed Mar. 14, 2014by inventors Christopher Hough et al. and entitled MEDICAL SUPPORTAPPARATUS, the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference. Person support apparatus 20 c can, of course, takeon other forms.

Notably, in at least one embodiment, person support apparatus 20 c doesnot include any mobile locator transceiver 64, such as is included withperson support apparatuses 20 a and 20 b. Person support apparatus 20 ctherefore does not establish its communication link with first headwallinterface 38 a in the same manner as person support apparatuses 20 a or20 b. Rather, in at least one embodiment, person support apparatus 20 cestablishes its communication link (whether direct or intermediated)with headwall interface 38 a by first associating itself with personsupport apparatus 20 a. Once this association takes place, personsupport apparatus 20 c either receives the unique ID of first headwallinterface 38 a from person support apparatus 20 a and uses it tocommunicate directly with first headwall interface 38 a; or personsupport apparatus 20 c receives a unique ID from person supportapparatus 20 a that uniquely identifies person support apparatus 20 a,and person support apparatus 20 c uses this ID to communicate withperson support apparatus 20 a, which acts as an intermediary forcommunication with first headwall interface 38 a.

The manner in which the association between person support apparatuses20 a and 20 c is accomplished can take on a variety of different forms.In one embodiment, person support apparatus 20 a and/or person supportapparatus 20 c include at least one near field transceiver that has alimited communication range and, whenever the two apparatuses are withinthis limited communication range, they associate with each other.Because this communication range is relatively small, person supportapparatus 20 c will not associate itself with person support apparatus20 b, for person support apparatus 20 b is located outside this range.Alternatively, if person support apparatus 20 b were located within thisrange, person support apparatus 20 c can be implemented to automaticallyassociate itself with only the person support apparatus that is closer(such as determined by evaluations of signal strengths, or by othermeans). Techniques such as these for associating person supportapparatus, as well as other medical devices, are disclosed in moredetail in commonly assigned, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/802,992filed Mar. 14, 2013 by inventors Michael Hayes et al. and entitledCOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the completedisclose of which is incorporated herein by reference. Thus, any of thetechniques disclosed in this '992 patent application may be used withsystem 18 b to enable person support apparatus 20 c to associate itselfwith person support apparatus 20 a (while avoiding an association withperson support apparatus 20 b). Alternatively, still other techniques,such as manual association carried out by a caregiver manipulatingsuitable controls on either person support apparatus 20 a and/or 20 ccan be used to associate these two apparatuses together.

Once person support apparatus 20 c is associated with person supportapparatus 20 a and receives a unique ID corresponding to either firstheadwall interface 38 a or person support apparatus 20 a, person supportapparatus 20 c is configured to forward any one or more of the messagesdescribed above to first headwall interface 38 a (either directly or viaperson support apparatus 20 a). Such messages may include, for example,an alert from an occupant exit detection system incorporated into personsupport apparatus 20 c, a nurse call signal from a nurse call buttonincorporated into person support apparatus 20 c, the status of brakes ofperson support apparatus 20 c, the height of person support apparatus 20c (such as the height of a seat on person support apparatus 20 c), voicesignals from a microphone on person support apparatus 20 c, signals forany of the environmental controls 48 (e.g. television, radio,temperature, curtains, etc.), and/or other messages. Similarly, firstheadwall interface 38 a is configured to forward any of the messagesdescribed above to person support apparatus 20 c (either directly or viaperson support apparatus 20 a), such as, but not limited to, voicesignals from a remotely positioned caregiver (which are amplified andplayed on a speaker on person support apparatus 20 c), control signalsadapted to control one or more features on person support apparatus 20c, and/or other messages.

In one embodiment, first headwall interface 38 a is adapted to monitorthe location of a patient associated with person support apparatus 20 aand person support apparatus 20 c (and not a patient associated withperson support apparatus 20 b). By continuously monitoring thislocation, first headwall interface 38 a knows whether to transmit toperson support apparatus 20 a or 20 c any signals or messages itreceives from headwall connector 44. In other words, if voice signalsfrom a remotely positioned caregiver are being received by firstheadwall interface 38 a from first headwall connector 44 a, firstheadwall interface 38 a forwards those voice signals to either personsupport apparatus 20 a or 20 c, depending upon where the patientassociated with these two apparatuses is currently located. If theperson is currently on person support apparatus 20 c, the signals ormessage are forwarded to person support apparatus 20 c. If the person iscurrently on person support apparatus 20 a, the signals or messages areforwarded to person support apparatus 20 a. In those instances where theperson is not on either person support apparatus 20 c or 20 a (or his orher location is unknown), first headwall interface 38 a forwards thesignals or messages to both person support apparatuses 20 a and 20 c. Inan alternative embodiment, first headwall interface 38 a includes auser-configurable setting that determines where to send those messagesor signals in situations where the location of the patient is on neitherperson support apparatus 20 a nor 20 c, or is unknown.

First headwall interface 38 a monitors the location of the patient byanalyzing the signals it receives from person support apparatuses 20 aand 20 c. Thus, for example, if a patient presses a nurse call button onperson support apparatus 20 a, headwall interface 38 a knows the patientis on person support apparatus 20 a when it receives the message fromperson support apparatus 20 a indicating that the nurse call button hasbeen pressed. Likewise, if the patient presses a nurse call button onperson support apparatus 20 c, headwall interface 38 a knows the patientis on person support apparatus 20 c when it receives the message fromperson support apparatus 20 c (either directly or through person supportapparatus 20 a) that the person support apparatus 20 c nurse call buttonhas been pressed. First headwall interface 38 a also monitors thelocation of the patient by analyzing other signals received from personsupport apparatuses 20 a and 20 c. For example, either or both of personsupport apparatuses 20 a and 20 c may include an occupant exit detectionsystem that a caregiver can selectively arm and disarm. Whenever eitherof these occupant exit detection systems is armed, the correspondingperson support apparatus 20 a or 20 c sends a signal to headwallinterface 38 a indicating this armed status. Headwall interface 38 ainterprets the arming of the exit detecting system of person supportapparatus 20 a as indicating that the patient is currently on personsupport apparatus 20 a, while it interprets the arming of the exitdetection system of person support apparatus 20 c as indicating that thepatient is currently on person support apparatus 20 c.

In other embodiments, person support apparatus 20 a and/or 20 c includea scale system, or other sensors, that are capable of detecting thepresence of the patient thereon. Information from these signals isforwarded to headwall interface 38 so that it knows the current locationof the patient. These other sensors may include sensor for detecting oneor more vital signs of the patient, such as any of those sensorsdisclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,699,784 issued to WanFong et al. and entitled SYSTEM FOR DETECTING AND MONITORING VITALSIGNS, or commonly assigned PCT patent application serial numberPCT/US2014/026030 filed by Stryker Corporation on Mar. 13, 2014, andentitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH PATIENT INFORMATION SENSORS, thecomplete disclosure of both of which are incorporated herein byreference. Other sensors may also be used.

As noted, headwall interface 38 a uses the patient location informationto determine where to direct the messages or signals that it receivesfrom connector 44. Headwall interface 38 may alternatively forward thispatient location information to nurse call system 46 so that remotelypositioned caregivers are made aware of the patient's current location.Still further, data regarding the patient's location over time may berecorded and stored and used for any suitable purpose, including, butnot limited to, assessing the mobility of the patient and/or correlatingpatient movement with healthcare outcomes.

In any of the systems 18, 18 a, and 18 b described above, communicationbetween headwall interface 38 and radio module 60 of person supportapparatus 20 may be configured to follow a signal strength modificationalgorithm, the results of which are illustrated in graphical form inFIG. 11. More specifically, when radio module 90 of headwall interfaceand radio module 60 of person support apparatus 20 begin communicatingwith each other, they do so at a relatively high signal strength, asillustrated during time T1 of FIG. 11. During a subsequent time T2, thetransceivers within radio modules 60 and 90 decrease their signalsstrengths until, at time T3, they fall below an RF fidelity cutoff level124. After the signals strengths are below level 124, the transceiverswithin radio modules 60 and 90 increase their signal strengths untilthey reach a value that is a threshold amount 126 above the fidelitycutoff level 124. Threshold amount 126 is chosen such that minorvariations in the signal strength will not interrupt communications, butwill also not utilize significantly more signal strength than isnecessary to maintain the communication link between interface 38 andperson support apparatus 20. By following this signal strengthmodification algorithm, the likelihood of a first communication linkbetween a first headwall interface 38 a and a first person supportapparatus 20 a interfering with one or more other communication linksbetween other interfaces 38 and other person support apparatuses 20, andvice versa, is reduced.

Also, in any of the embodiments of system 18, 18 a, and/or 18 bdescribed above, headwall interface 38 can be configured to use one ormore of its transceivers (e.g. WiFi transceiver 84 b) to communicatedirectly with a local area network (LAN) of the healthcare facility inwhich it is located. Such communication allows headwall interface 38 tocommunicate directly with one or more servers on the LAN. In oneembodiment, headwall interface 38 is configured to receive softwareupdates from the LAN for updating its own software. In other embodiment,headwall interface 38 is configured to receive software update for theperson support apparatus 20 it is communicating with, which headwallinterface 38 then sends to the mobile wireless unit 36 of that personsupport apparatus 20.

In still other embodiments, headwall interface 38 is configured toselectively send some bed messages or signals it receives from personsupport apparatus 20 directly to the LAN, while sending other signals ormessages to headwall connector 44 (or to both destinations in somecases). For example, bed status information (e.g. the status of thebrake, the occupant detection or exit detection system, the side rails,the height of support surface 22, etc.) can be forwarded to one or moreservers on the LAN for display to appropriate personnel (e.g.caregivers), even in a system 18 where the nurse call system 46 is notequipped to receive and process such messages when they are transmittedto nurse call system 46 via connector 44. Alternatively, even if nursecall system 46 is configured to receive, process, and display some bedstatus information, the wireless transmission by headwall interface 38to a server on the LAN enables one or more applications on the LAN todisplay additional bed status information. Still further, in thoseembodiments of mobile wireless unit 36 that plug into headwall hardwareinterface 62 of person support apparatus 20, rather than being directlyintegrated therein, the addition of mobile wireless unit 36 and headwallinterfaces 38 to a particular person support apparatus 20, which waspreviously unable to wirelessly communicate with a LAN, enables thatperson support apparatus 20 to be upgraded to allow such direct wirelessLAN communication (in addition to their communication environmentalcontrols 48 and nurse call system 46).

Various additional alterations and changes beyond those alreadymentioned herein can be made to the above-described embodiments. Thisdisclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not beinterpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments or to limitthe scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated ordescribed in connection with these embodiments. For example, and withoutlimitation, any individual element(s) of the described embodiments maybe replaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similarfunctionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes,for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those thatmight be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternativeelements that may be developed in the future, such as those that oneskilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative.Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using thearticles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limitingthe element to the singular.

What is claimed is:
 1. A person support apparatus comprising: a supportsurface adapted to support a person; a microphone adapted to convertsound waves from the person on the support surface into audio signals;an exit detection system adapted to detect when the person exits fromthe support surface and to issue an alert; a first transceiver adaptedto wirelessly communicate with a headwall interface positioned off ofthe person support apparatus, the headwall interface including a firstmulti-pin connector adapted to couple to a nurse-call system connectormounted to a headwall, the headwall interface further including anelectrical cord adapted to plug into an electrical outlet; a light; anda controller adapted to establish a communication link between the firsttransceiver and the headwall, the controller further adapted to transmitthe audio signals and the alert via the communication link to theheadwall interface for forwarding to the nurse-call system connector,the controller still further adapted to control an illumination state ofthe light in a first manner when the electrical cord is unplugged fromthe electrical outlet and in a second manner different from the firstmanner when the electrical cord is plugged into the electrical outlet.2. The person support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the headwallinterface is adapted to change one of a normally open state or anormally closed state of a selected one of the pins of the firstmulti-pin connector in response to the alert.
 3. The person supportapparatus of claim 1 wherein the headwall interface is adapted to changeone of a normally open state or a normally closed state of a selectedone of the pins of the first multi-pin connector in response to thealert.
 4. The person support apparatus of claim 1 further including asecond transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with the headwallinterface.
 5. The person support apparatus of claim 4 wherein the firsttransceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver and the second transceiver is aninfrared transceiver.
 6. The person support apparatus of claim 5 whereinthe controller is further adapted to automatically establish thecommunication link between the first transceiver and the headwallinterface without requiring a user of the person support apparatus toactivate a control designated for establishing the communication linkand without requiring the user to identify the headwall interface. 7.The person support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the headwall interfaceincludes a second light and a second controller, and wherein the secondcontroller is adapted to control an illumination state of the secondlight in a first manner when the communication link is not establishedand in a second manner different from the first manner when thecommunication link is established.
 8. The person support apparatus ofclaim 6 wherein the controller is further adapted to receive a uniqueidentifier from the headwall interface via the first transceiver, andwherein the unique identifier provides location information relating toa current position of the person support apparatus within a healthcarefacility.
 9. The person support apparatus of claim 6 wherein thecontroller is further adapted to transmit a disconnect signal from thefirst transceiver to the headwall interface, the disconnect signalindicating that the communication link between the first transceiver andthe headwall interface is going to terminate.
 10. The person supportapparatus of claim 9 wherein the person support apparatus furthercomprises: a base on which the support surface is supported; a pluralityof wheels supported on the base; a brake adapted to brake and unbrakethe plurality of wheels; and a brake sensor adapted to determine astatus of the brake, the brake sensor in communication with thecontroller, and wherein the controller is adapted to determine whetherto send the disconnect signal based at least partially upon the statusof the brake.
 11. A person support apparatus system for a healthcarefacility, the person support apparatus system comprising: a personsupport apparatus, a headwall interface, and a wall indicator; whereinthe person support apparatus further comprises: (a) a support surfaceadapted to support a person; (b) a microphone adapted to convert soundwaves from the person on the support surface into audio signals; (c) anexit detection system adapted to detect when the person exits from thesupport surface and to issue an alert; (d) a first transceiver adaptedto wirelessly communicate with the headwall interface, the headwallinterface including a first multi-pin connector adapted to couple to aconnector of a nurse-call system, the connector being mounted to aheadwall; and (e) a controller adapted to establish a communication linkbetween the first transceiver and the headwall interface, the controllerfurther adapted to transmit the audio signals and the alert via thecommunication link to the headwall interface for forwarding to thenurse-call system connector, wherein the headwall interface comprises:(i) a headwall controller adapted to forward the audio signals and thealert to the nurse-call system; and (ii) an electrical cord adapted tobe plugged into an electrical outlet; and wherein the wall indicatorcomprises a display and is coupled to the headwall interface by a wire,the wall indicator adapted to display on the display an indication whenthe electrical cord is unplugged from the electrical outlet and to notdisplay the indication when the electrical cord is plugged into theelectrical outlet.
 12. The person support apparatus system of claim 11wherein the indication is a graphical indication displayed on thedisplay.
 13. The person support apparatus system of claim 11 wherein thewall indicator is further adapted to display a second indication on thedisplay when the communication link is unintentionally terminated. 14.The person support apparatus system of claim 11 wherein the headwallinterface further comprises a multi-pin connector adapted to couple to afirst end of a cable that includes a second end adapted to couple to thenurse-call system connector, wherein the headwall controller is furtheradapted to forward the audio signals and the alert to the nurse-callsystem via the multi-pin connector.
 15. The person support apparatussystem of claim 14 wherein the headwall controller is adapted to changeone of a normally open state or a normally closed state of a selectedone of the pins of the multi-pin connector in response to the alert. 16.The person support apparatus system of claim 14 wherein the headwallcontroller is adapted to change one of a normally open state or anormally closed state of a selected one of the pins of the firstmulti-pin connector in response to the communication link beingunintentionally terminated.
 17. The person support apparatus system ofclaim 13 wherein the person support apparatus further includes a secondtransceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with the headwallinterface.
 18. The person support apparatus system of claim 17 whereinthe first transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver and the secondtransceiver is an infrared transceiver.
 19. The person support apparatussystem of claim 13 wherein the controller is further adapted toautomatically establish the communication link between the firsttransceiver and the headwall interface without requiring a user of theperson support apparatus to activate a control designated forestablishing the communication link and without requiring the user toidentify the headwall interface.
 20. The person support apparatus systemof claim 13 wherein the person support apparatus further comprises: abase on which the support surface is supported; a plurality of wheelssupported on the base; a brake adapted to brake and unbrake theplurality of wheels; and a brake sensor adapted to determine a status ofthe brake, the brake sensor in communication with the controller; andwherein the controller is further adapted to transmit a disconnectsignal from the first transceiver to the headwall interface, thedisconnect signal indicating that the communication link between thefirst transceiver and the headwall interface is going to terminate, andwherein the controller is adapted to determine whether to send thedisconnect signal based at least partially upon the status of the brake.